New package, same Fox: Ailes courts the non-elderly

Millennials reject the network's anti-Obama focus -- leaving Roger Ailes with an aging audience and big trouble

BY JORDAN CHARITON

The media world was abuzz last week as Matt Drudge reported a rare prime-time shakeup at Fox News: Rising star Megyn Kelly is moving to 9 p.m., bumping the current inhabitant of that hour, the “Great American” Sean Hannity, to parts unknown.

The domino effect has not yet been revealed, with speculation that Kelly’s move might produce other changes, including hard news star and 7 p.m. anchor Shepard Smith potentially shifting roles, and 10 p.m. host Greta Van Susteren moving hours.

The most interesting nugget from all this came from Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who in an interview with host Neil Cavuto, neither confirmed nor denied specifics as to which hosts would be moving where, but did give us a window into his reasoning behind his first significant prime-time lineup change in a decade: attracting more young people to the predominantly older channel. He used Fox’s highly rated show “The Five” as a marker for bringing youth into the Fox tent.

“It appeals to young people, and it is going to be a big Internet project for us as well,” he said, adding that expanding Fox’s digital presence was also important. “You will see things, not just in talent — and I think picking talent is one of the things that are essential to winning — but also the rise of social media, the digital side of our unit is growing.

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http://www.salon.com/2013/08/16/new_package_same_fox_ailes_courts_the_non_elderly/